It Is Striking To Recognise That The Sense Of Being Fundamentally Bored And Dissatisfied With Life Is A Problem Experienced By Prosperous, Wealthy Westerners.“ (via Matthew Payne at Gospel Coalition Australia)

People have always been bored. We’ve all experienced the feeling of disinterest in what we’re doing or not knowing what to do with ourselves. But what this paper focussed on was a deeper and more fundamental problem of boredom. Many people in our culture are disinterested in life as a whole. The meaningless of life hangs over us and we can’t escape a sense of dissatisfaction with what life has to offer.
This latter kind of boredom is a recent phenomenon. It is connected with the rise of wealth and the loss of belief in God in the western world. It is striking to recognise that the sense of being fundamentally bored and dissatisfied with life is a problem experienced by prosperous, wealthy westerners. We have more career and lifestyle choices than anyone else in human history, but this has not made us content. Quite the opposite.